Legalization Of Marijuana Essay Research Paper Within

Legalization Of Marijuana Essay, Research Paper

Within the idiosyncrasies of almost any sociomedical analysis of our various contemporary health dilemmas, there exists the issue of marijuana and the controversy surrounding its usage and its legalization. Indeed, scientific studies have done nothing less than proven that “occasional use” of marijuana poses no greater a threat to the human body than does similar usage and quantities of alcohol. While the long-term health effects of marijuana-smoking are reminiscent of what we know to be the risks of chronic cigarette smokers, there exists virtually no scientific data nor substantial argument which warrants the maintenance of marijuana as an illegal substance in the United States. In Weiss & Mirin’s book, Marijuana, the authors effectively recount the history of marijuana-laws in this country. Citing specifically how the drug was first a required product whose growth was mandated on American farms, she illustratively brings readers into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries where marijuana was originally legal, widely-used and still well-looked upon. Apparently, the social degradation of marijuana began when Texas police officers associated violent crimes and various other social delinquencies with the drug. This was a spark that started a fire which by the 1920’s and 30’s had grown so large it gave marijuana a reputation definitive of the colloquial term, “killer weed.” (Weiss & Mirin, 1986). Looking back over history, I find it virtually amazing that the controversy of marijuana’s legalization has not ended with its full endorsement. We continue to live in a social hypocrisy; alcohol and tobacco are legal while an equivalent substance is not. From the alcohol prohibition which took place earlier this century, we should have well-learned that such banning only creates more problems. Similar to the results of socially catastrophic results of prohibition; marijuana delegalization has led only to more pertinent crimes and to the existence of a large, illegal black market. The only difference in this case, is that after prohibition we learned; alcohol became legal again because it created more corruption when it was not so. Unfortunately, marijuana has not yet been legalized partially because it still carries with it such adamant negative societal stereotypes which are reinforced by a black market. If it were legalized, marijuana’s effect would be no different than the legalization of alcohol and our society would be better off with regard to a plethora of detailed ethical and economic aspects. Oddly enough, the United States Government has theoretically accepted the use of marijuana for an extremely marginal group of users: AIDS patients. With the various examples of ill individuals cited in Bob Batz’s recent article, an argument is essentially made that those who are terminal, “have nothing to lose.” While this may not exist as a sound, universal argument for the legalization of marijuana, it does in my opinion, illustrate one of the many ridiculous social ironies surrounding the situation: the government is willing to test and to experiment with a drug that we already know all about and are allegedly so firmly against. (Batz, 1994). Factually, there is no real case against marijuana’s legalization. In Elizabeth Neus’s article, Bill Grigg is quoted as saying that, “no studies indicated that smoked marijuana had any benefit over approved medicinal purposes.” But then again, no studies indicated that it harmed anyone either. True, it is argued that patients with diseases such as AIDS risk pneumonia and other disease-upsetting symptoms when they smoke, but that is if they smoke any substance. They are still legally allowed to smoke cigarettes, so why should they not be allowed to smoke marijuana; a substance which my articles report “has a numbing effect on their condition.” (Batz, 1994). The media argues that “children who smoke marijuana are far more likely than those who dont to try harder drugs.” So . In my opinion, that is all the more reason to experiment more fully with the legalization of marijuana. After all, those studies were done in a society were marijuana is illegal. Therefore, it exists in the same social category as much “harder”, more dangerous drugs such as cocaine. Legalizing the use of marijuana certainly will not worsen the situation. If anything at all, it will keep respectable users with integrity from being forced to involve themselves in the “black market” and high-danger social scenes which they must often frequent to obtain marijuana. With specific regard to young children, they would not be allowed (minimum age=21) to use marijuana any way so legalization would not necessarily have any negative nor any positive effect on other pertinent future decisions in their life. Many states have allowed doctors to prescribe marijuana for all sorts of pain relievers; including its prescription as a positive aid for chemotherapy patients to help them stop vomiting among other things. Ironically, even these uses have created great controversy. (Arnold, 1991). But where is all of the controversy about legalizing marijuana coming from . Why is there any argument at all . In one article which I researched, a poll revealed that only 38 out of 1282 people were against the legalization of marijuana. I, evidently am not one of those thirty-eight sheltered individuals. (Hunt, 1994). Ironically I, (and probably many other endor